


Talk to me

by zapattersons



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Nightmare, OOC, Panic Attack, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, idk how to tag still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:29:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zapattersons/pseuds/zapattersons
Summary: Angst/Fluff Prompt List #4“You haven’t been yourself lately”
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 124





	Talk to me

**Author's Note:**

> Another quick lil fic before the mid-season premiere. Is this out of Character? Just a lil bit. Sorry if it isn’t that good lol

It’s been three months since the incident, and to say Lucy was starting to worry Tim would be an understatement.

She’s different.

The Lucy he pulled out of that barrel wasn’t the same Lucy he knew. She was quiet, and rarely ever spoke unless it was for professional reasons. Even then it was normally in short answers or comments.

Whatever friendship their partnership had morphed into felt gone, as Lucy distanced herself more with every passing day. She never picked up his calls or answered his texts. He’d ask Jackson about her, but he moved out to live with his boyfriend two months ago.

So he decided to stop by her apartment after shift one day. Tucking the bag of her favourite pastries under his arm, he knocked twice and waited for an answer. There was a soft yet tired “who is it” from inside.

“It’s Tim, i brought muffins” he heard rustling coming from inside, and the click of a lock. The door opened to reveal Lucy with an old academy t-shirt on and a pair of shorts, her hair thrown up in a messy bun.

“What are you doing here?” Lucy asked, and Tim tried to hide his hurt at her tone of disappointment. “Sorry, that came out wrong, it’s just that it’s 9 pm on a Wednesday” Lucy trailed off. Tim held up the bag of pastries, and after a few moments of careful consideration, she gestured that he come in.

They sat on her couch and Tim opened up the bag of pastries, taking out a blueberry muffin for himself and giving her her favourite chocolate muffin from the bakery on the boulevard. While Lucy turned on a random movie.

After a few moments of them eating their muffins Tim broke the silence, “I came to check up on you..” he trailed off, picking at his blueberry muffin.

“I’m fine-“

“You can cut the act boot, it’s just us here. Just tell me the truth” Tim interrupted in a sincere voice. He reached over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away.

Lucy just scoffed, he had no right to come into her home and tell her how she felt. “Let’s just finish the movie” there it was again, she was avoiding talking about her emotions. Tim sighed and turned his attention towards the movie, which he was now realizing had no storyline.

During the climax fight scene of the movie Tim felt a weight drop on his shoulder. He glanced over to his right and smiled softly, Lucy had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her to let her lean on him more, and placed a throw blanket he found on the back of the couch over her.

The credits were starting as the movie came to an end, when he felt Lucy flinch in her sleep. He looked down at her and saw that her face was scrunched up and that she was sweating. Tim heard a faint trembling voice plagued with fear, “Please, stop. No more” Lucy murmured in her sleep. She kicked off the blanket and started to fidget in her sleep, almost like she was trying to get away from someone.

Tim’s face soften with concern when he realized Lucy was in the middle of a nightmare. He strokes the side of her face, pushing away the strands of hair out of her face. “It’s okay Lucy, it’s just a nightmare. I’m here with you, you’re safe.” Tim’s attempts to try and calm Lucy proved to be ineffective as she started to panic more and her breath speed up.

Tim gently shook her to try and wake her up, when all of the sudden Lucy sat straight up. Her breathing was heavy and she started to hyperventilate. He placed his hand on her shoulder but she flinched away once again. “Lucy, it’s me.. I need you to calm down” Tim responded in a soft voice in an attempt to slow her breathing.

“I’m going to wrap my arms around you, and i want you to place your hand on my chest and follow my breathing” Tim saw Lucy nod lightly, so he wrapped his arms around her lightly, she still flinched but didn’t pull back this time so he saw that as an opportunity to place his hand gently on her back.

Her head was on his chest and her hands were gripping his shirt. “I can’t- I can’t breathe-“ she managed to get out in short breaths.

“Just follow my breaths Luce” he said as he rubbed soft circles into her back. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, “You feel my heartbeat?” after he felt Lucy nod against him he continued, “Try and match yours to it, for me Lucy.”

After what seemed like an eternity Lucy’s breathing slowed down, Tim still rubbing her back soothingly. He pulled back slightly from their current position to look at her face. “Sorry for crying on you” Lucy said looking down, embarrassed that Tim witnessed her having a panic attack.

She tried to move away but Tim kept his arms wrapped around her. “Hey... Hey... Look at me Luce” She looked up at him and sniffled as he wiped away a stray tear off her cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry for.. just tell me what’s going on in your head, you haven’t been yourself lately...”

“Every time i close my eyes... i see him there” Lucy trails off.

“How often do those happen?” Tim asked tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“The nightmares happen more often than i’d like to admit.. I’m just so sick of it all..” Tim was about to speak but Lucy continued to rant, “I’m so sick of crying and seeing him every time i close my eyes. I’m sick of feeling helpless... Im a cop! How did I miss him slipping something in my drink” Lucy sniffled and angrily wiped another tear off her face.

”It’s not your fault, and even if you didn’t go out to the bar with you, he would’ve found another way.. We’ll get through this together, but for now, you need to get some rest” Tim said as he stroked her cheek.

After a few moments of silence, Lucy’s breathing started to slow. Just when Tim thought she was asleep he heard her softly mumbling something into his chest. “You called me Luce”

He just smiled softly as they drifted off to sleep.


End file.
